Art and fashion have forever been entwined. Mainly, art serves us for expressing ideas and visions. As an exquisite ode to the history of art, below are eight wearable art pieces conceived by visionary fashion designers of the 20th century.
Renaissance: Valentino And Hieronymus Bosch
As the head designer of Valentino, Pierpaolo Piccioli finds the religious artworks from the Middle Ages highly appealing. He collaborated with Zandra Rhodes to design the collection in Spring 2017. Using the Renaissance as a base he connected the late ’70s punk culture with humanism and medieval art, finding inspiration in Hieronymus Bosch’s painting The Garden of Earthly Delights - a painting that is interpreted as an allegory for sin.
Mannerism: Cristobal Balenciaga And El Greco
Born in a small village in Spain, Cristóbal Balenciaga, transferred the essence of Spanish history of art into his contemporary designs. Throughout his career, Balenciaga was impressed by the Spanish Renaissance. He often looked for inspiration in Spanish royalty and members of the clergy. One of his great inspirations was the Mannerist El Greco, El Greco’s ideas were derived from the Italian Renaissance’s Neoplatonism. Balenciaga had the vision and ability to reinvent shapes into contemporary fashion. The cardinals cape and its fluid proportions can be seen in this 1954 evening coat. Balenciaga prioritised comfort, freedom, and functionality for women. He promoted loose, comfortable dresses that were in contrast to the tight-fitting silhouettes of the 60’s.
Symbolism: Alexander McQueen And Gustav Klimt
Austrian painter, master of Symbolism, and founder of the Vienna Secession movement, Gustav Klimt marked the 20th-century history of art. Aquilano Rimoldi, L’Wren Scott, and Christian Dior have all used Klimt’s work as inspiration. In the resort collection for the spring/summer collection of 2013, Alexander McQueen, adopted abstract, geometric and mosaic patterns in bronze and gold tones incorporating them into his designs reminiscent of Klimt’s 1905 painting, Fulfilment.
Baroque: Dolce & Gabbana And Peter Paul Rubens
Rubens, who was one of the founders of Baroque art, and his concept in which “colors are more important than lines,” influenced several fashion designers including Dolce & Gabbana. The Baroque style deviated from the spirit of Renaissance, abandoned the peacefulness and the smoothness, and pursued instead elegance, excitement, and movement. Dolce and Gabbana’s Fall 2012 women’s collection displays many characteristics of Italian Baroque architecture. This collection perfectly coincides with the highly ornate characteristics of the Sicilian Baroque style. The fashion designers focused on Baroque architecture as seen in the Catholic Churches of Sicily. The reference point was Rubens’ painting The Portrait of Anne of Austria. The bell-shaped sleeve, known as the “Spanish Great-Sleeve” is a Spanish-style signature, as well as the ruffled lace collar. Artfully designed dresses and capes made out of luxurious textiles like lace and brocade stole the Dolce and Gabbana show.
Impressionism: Christian Dior And Claude Monet
Dior perfectly illustrated the two worlds of art and fashion and imitated Monet’s Impressionist aesthetic into the Miss Dior gown in 1949. Reflective of Monet’s garden in Granville. The dress - entirely embroidered with flower petals in different shades of pink and violet - perfectly illustrated the two worlds of art and fashion and imitated Monet’s aesthetic.
Surrealism: Elsa Schiaparelli And Salvador Dali
One of the greatest collaborations in fashion history was that of Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli. They collaborated on the The Tears Dress as a part of Schiaparelli’s Circus collection of the summer of 1938. The dress references Dali’s Surrealist painting, in which he depicted women with torn flesh. Dali’s intention, wasn’t to depict women realistically, thus their bodies aren’t aesthetically pleasing. Schiaparelli wanted to experiment with this play of concealing and revealing the body, giving the illusion of vulnerability and exposure.
Pop Art: Gianni Versace And Andy Warhol
The Italian designer Gianni Versace had a long-lasting friendship with Andy Warhol. Both men were charmed by popular culture. In order to commemorate Warhol, Versace dedicated his 1991 Spring/Summer Collection to him. One of the dresses featured Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe prints. He incorporated brightly colored, silk-screened portraits of Marilyn and James Dean that originated from the 1960s onto skirts and maxi dresses.
De Stijl: Yves Saint Laurent And Mondrian
Mondarin’s abstract art from the 20 th century started an entire art movement called the De Stijl. The art form used only geometric principles and primary colors, such as red, blue, and yellow combined with neutrals. As a lover of art, Yves Saint Laurent incorporated Mondrian’s paintings into his haute couture creations. His fall 1965 collection was known as the “Mondrian” collection. Inspired by the painter’s geometrical lines and bold colors, he presented six cocktail dresses that marked his iconic style and the sixties era in general.
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